Credit where credit is due: HBO may not get it right every time (“Deadwood” and “Carnivale,” RIP), but they’re rolling right now. A dubious finale for the network’s most popular series coupled with the decision to roll out two new series on its heels (“John from Cincinnati” and “Flight of the Conchords”) could’ve spelled disaster, but not only are “John” and “Conchords” flashing some great promise, one of HBO’s few remaining tent poles is jamming too. Looks like this new season of “Entourage” is going to be a blast.
We’ve all been crying for more from Turtle and Drama, or more accurately, something for Turtle and Drama. When they’ve got something to do (Drama’s road rage, Turtle starting up his management company), the dynamic duo make for excellent comic relief. But when they’re running around with no real direction or purpose, they get stale. Fortunately, Drama’s got plenty going on right now. In fact, he’s the only Chase brother bringing in any bank, the success of “Four Towns” finally giving him a taste of life in the upper crust. And who cares if he’s spending it all on cutlery and Ikia chandeliers, not to mention a brutal mortgage payment? He’s there for his little bro when it comes time to throw a coming home party, and once Drama padlocked the bathroom and moved the couch out of the living room, the place was ready. But leave your shoes at the door, oh, and hit the porto-potty in the hallway if you need to take a leak. Awesome. Even better was Drama’s instantaneous reaction when Vince and E left early to finally see Billy’s first cut of the movie: “I’ve got an announcement: get the fuck out! I’m serious, the party’s over – GETTHEFUCKOUT!”
As for that screening…. Maybe it was just me, but E’s reaction after they watched the film – “Great job, Billy!” – was hollow and insanely transparent, but Billy bought it and so, apparently, did Vince. The thing is, Vince’s seemed 100% authentic, so I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was not surprised to learn that E actually hated the movie and Vince really did like it. What to do now? Are we going to have a philosophical clash here between Vin and E, the creative talent standing by the product and the Suit seeing a box office flop? It’s possible, and would definitely make for an interesting episode or two, but it seemed that Eric saying he hated the movie got Vinnie thinking again. Maybe Vince talks himself into not liking it? Or maybe someone is forced to compromise? One thing’s for sure: everyone needs this thing to be a hit. You know times are tough when Vincent Chase is forced to shack up with his older brother.
So finally, we have something to care about again. Is “Medellin” going to hit or bust? It’s a very serious question in the “Entourage” universe, something much more significant than whether or not Vince will get over Mandy Moore, or some long lost buddy on parole stealing a Shrek figure during a party (ah, Dom, we don’t miss ye a bit). This show’s got it all right now, including a lunatic director hopping onto a motorcycle and taking off through a room full of people, screaming, “Go fuck yourself, Suit!” What a great scene.
Obviously, we can’t forget about Ari. “Legacies are as sure a thing as me having to beg for a blowjob,” he tells Mrs. Ari when she freaks out about their son having trouble getting into some la-dee-da private school. Maybe it’s his reading, or the fact that he hit another student with a ruler during his observation. No, actually, it’s you, Ari. Watching Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) tear Ari down was good – “Your daughter only has four years left, but if we admit your son, that means more than a decade left with you” – but not as good as Ari’s two reactions: first, the devastated, almost confused look on his face when Homer finished speaking; and second, finding his daughter’s classroom, yanking her out in the middle of the afternoon and telling her, “You don’t go to school here anymore.” Ya know, on the one hand, you’ve got to give it up to Ari for retaining at least some dignity by taking his daughter (and his checkbook) out of the school, but on the other hand…well, Homer had a point. This is Ari, after all. And we love him, but come on, would you want him hanging around your kids?
